I’m always on the lookout for the smallest earbuds that provide the most value at the lowest price, and the newly unveiled Sony WF-C510 look like they might just fit the bill.
They’re tiny, weighing a mere 4.6g per earbud (that’s even lighter than the fantastic Sony WF-C500 earphones they replace), but they still deliver sound quality to match much bigger and more expensive wireless earbuds while also offering improvements in battery life, design, connectivity features and app control.
Sony WF-C510 earbuds: At a glance
Pros
- Super tiny and comfortable
- Excellent sound quality
- 22 hours of total battery life
- Ambient awareness mode
- Great passive noise isolation
- Reliable buttons
Cons
- WF-C500 buds are similar and cheaper
- No noise-cancelling
- Some rivals have more app-based features
Key specifications
| Noise-cancelling | No |
|---|---|
| Battery life | 22 hours (11 hours on a single charge) |
| Charging | USB-C |
| Weight | 4.6g per earbud (40.2g with the case) |
Sony WF-C510 earbuds: Comfort and design
The earbuds are ultra-light at 4.6g each. I haven’t encountered rivals that weigh less without making sacrifices to the battery life, connectivity or audio quality. These also have an IPX4 rating for protection from water splashes and sweat. You don’t always get that from affordable models.
The charging case is also petite (perfect for slipping into even a jeans or leggings pocket) and its hinge is a plastic rather than metal one, but it feels solid with a good amount of resistance. They come in four cute colours: I’m testing them in the blue shade, and they also come in yellow, white and black.
The size keeps them comfortable to wear too, as long as you wear them the right way. They use similar secure ear tips as the Sony WF-C500 and WF-C700N earbuds. Those help them deliver passive isolation that'll convince you they have active noise-cancellation (ANC).
Control is easy, with large buttons on either bud. The right side deals with playback while a single click on the left side triggers an ambient awareness mode and a double click can resume Spotify playback (more on both of these features below). Repeatedly clicking the left side will lower the volume, while doing so on the right will raise it.
When testing out these earbuds, I was struck by how they’re in direct competition with the entry-level Beats Solo Buds as small and simple earphones. However, the Sony pair has a more ergonomic fit, better passive noise reduction and easier control with more responsive buttons.
Sony WF-C510 earbuds: Battery life and features
Compared to the predecessor to these earphones, Sony has expanded the battery life by an extra hour. And it offers one additional full charge from the charging case. That means they can play music for 11 hours on a single charge, and there are 11 hours of charge after that.
They’ll recharge themselves every time they go back in the case, and I’d expect that even when you use them a lot, you'd mostly use them for a couple of hours at a time. So, 22 hours of life should get you about a week of real-world use. That’s especially impressive given how small they are. When you do run out, five minutes of charging will give you an hour of battery life, which is very convenient.
The Sony WF-C500 buds that these replace already proved how you don’t need noise-cancelling if you get a great seal with the ear tips. These continue to do as well in that department. I’ve worn them not only in the office but while walking on busy streets and travelling on the London Underground. It was rare that even the loudest sounds reached my ears because the seal was that good.
While these earbuds don’t add an active noise-cancellation feature, they do now include an ambient mode that you’d typically have to pay much more for. Once you engage this with a single tap on your left bud, you’ll hear the sounds around you amplified.
It’s ideal for making sure you can hear an announcement on the train or be aware of traffic while walking on the street. It’s not just a mere awareness mode, too, it’s good enough at enhancing outside sound that I’ve found it possible to hold short conversations without needing to remove the buds.
The WF-C510 also add more useful features that you can enable with the “Sony Headphones” companion app (which you can download on iOS and Android). Spotify Tap is probably the most handy one for me, as I use Spotify for the majority of my music streaming. Once you go through a short setup, you can click the left button two times to resume Spotify playback. This quick access is so helpful for getting straight back into the music. Continuing to press the button two times will cycle through other playlists and albums you’ve listened to on Spotify lately – it’s super easy to use.
These buds also have “Bluetooth Multipoint”, which isn’t a feature I see quite as often on affordable pairs. What this means is that it can maintain connections to two devices at the same time, switching to the one that’s playing audio or in use for a call. You can always view a list of connected devices in the app, where you can “pull” the connection to the one you want to use.
Sony WF-C510 earbuds: Sound quality
Just like the Sony WF-C500 and WF-C700N, they simply sound terrific, with a natural and detailed reproduction of all the tracks I use to evaluate the sonic capabilities of earphones. They’ve got a well-rounded bass without overwhelming the sound signature, and the vocals and high notes come through as crisp and rich.
At this price, I haven’t heard any earbuds that beat these for sound quality. The main issue with most budget buds is a bass-heavy sound that makes music thumpy and energetic but not as deep and nuanced as I’d prefer.
If you’d like a bit of a booming bass boost for a workout playlist, for example, there are not only several sound presets but an equaliser to tweak sound frequencies to your liking. You can also save your favourite equaliser presets once you’ve done this.
Good Housekeeping’s verdict on the Sony WF-C510 earbuds
Sony’s WF-C510 aren’t just a good option for those on a budget, they’re some of the best value affordable earbuds I’ve tested. They’re certainly the best option that manages to keep the size and weight so small and compact. Along with the notable size reduction, the addition of the ambient awareness mode and quick Spotify access from the excellent on-bud button controls makes these more practical for day-to-day use.
They’re also IP-rated so work as a realistic option for bringing with you for a workout, and the super secure ear tips deliver a fit and isolation that blocks out loads of external noise at similar levels to capable models with active noise-cancellation.
I love the fun colour range, impressive battery life, comprehensive companion app support and pocketable charging case design. Overall, if you need simple and small buds for more than just the basics, these inexpensive earphones are my new top pick.
Sony WF-C510 earbuds: Other products to consider
If you’d like the instant pairing functionality with Apple devices and think you might need 18 hours of uninterrupted playtime, then you may want to go for the Beats Solo Buds. But it’s worth considering how well the Sony pair lines up against the Beats given the price difference. The Beats pair may have a more premium build quality and instant pairing with Apple devices, but the Sony WF-C510 buds run circles around them in every other regard.
They are smaller, lighter, more comfortable, have an IP rating, and offer better passive isolation. They deliver a more engaging sound quality, have better controls, far more app-based options, and an ambient mode. They also have a battery life of 11 hours compared to the Beats getting 18 hours on one charge. But in practical use, they win the battery head-to-head too, with a total battery life of 22 hours. All this, and they’re £24 cheaper – not a trivial saving!
It’s worth mentioning that these aren’t the absolute smallest earbuds around, and I’ve previously been impressed by the super diminutive JLab JBuds Mini, which are even more pocketable. However, the Sony pair is only a little more expensive than the JLab pair, and not only does it sound better, but it also has better battery life and better app support.
The Sony WF-C700N is my recommendation if you want something as compact but that delivers noise cancellation. Those are brilliant affordable buds that share many features with these. It’s also worth considering that the older WF-C500 are a better recommendation than ever. The launch of these new buds has brought the price of the existing pair down to £39, making them an absolute steal and some of the best headphones under £50. They still deliver a pocket-friendly case, small size, secure fit, simple controls, long-lasting battery and excellent sound quality.
Simon Cocks is Good Housekeeping UK’s Technology Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy for the title. He previously also worked across other titles including Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, e-book readers and smartphones. He's reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and money-saving advice guides and edited thousands of in-depth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
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